Choosing a Secondary School in Birmingham
If the last year of primary school wasn't stressful enough for you and your child with preparing for SAT's, saying goodbye to friends and getting that perfect outfit for the leavers' disco, then you have the added pressure of having to find the perfect secondary school. In Birmingham, it's not so much a case of finding a school as deciding between the huge number available.
Time, unfortunately, is not on your side and the closing date for applications is 31st October 2016. That means there is less than 2 months at the start of the year to do your research and make your choices. So how can you make the most of this precious time?
Attend open evenings
Most schools will hold open evenings or mornings for you to look around the school and talk to teachers and current pupils. You will be able to find out information about facilities, uniform and lunches, as well as meet lots of current students. Many people feel that just soaking up the atmosphere on the open day and imagining your child there is the best way to make your choice. Most open evenings take place in late September and early October, but some schools may have a later date if you didn't get chance to get round to them earlier.
What kind of things should you look for at the open evening?
- What does your instinct say from the open evening?
- Do you like the building?
- Do the classrooms feel genuine or do they seem to have just been thrown up for the open event?
- If you are particularly impressed by the headteacher check whether the school is already aware of any changes in headship in the near future.
- If your child has special educational needs or speaks English as an additional language, find out what’s offered in terms of SEN and EAL provision.
- Does your child have a particular interest, for example, music, physical education or science. If so, is this a strength in the school?
- Do the kids look happy? The staff?
- Do the students who show you round seem animated about the school?
BEYOND GCSE'S
It might seem like a long way off, but the end of secondary school will come round all too quickly. What are the future prospects at the school like? Some schools have their own sixth form. Harborne Academy has a specialist medical academy, which has strong links with local employers and universities to ensure that sixth form students get the course they want at the country's top universities.
Other sources of information
School prospectuses: Get these from each school you are interested in. They provide lots of information about the school and how to apply.
LEA booklets: These list schools in your area and give information, such as the size of each school. The booklet for Birmingham can be found here.
Ofsted inspection reports: A report is available for every school and you can ask for a copy or a summary of the main findings.
Performance tables: The Government publishes tables every year that give information about GCSEs and other exam results, absenteeism and other key facts.
Find out what other parents think, but bear in mind that it’s the facts that are important, not just opinions. Keep in mind though that reputations, both good and bad, can often ‘stick’ for a long time and may not tell the whole truth about the school now.
How will your child travel to the school? Travelling to school can be an opportunity to develop confidence, so don’t immediately be put off by a bus or train journey. Furthermore, extensive transport links and cycle lanes in cities like Birmingham mean that a journey is often not as long as you might think. For example, West Bromwich is 6 miles away from Harborne Academy, but the No.48 bus goes directly from the town centre to the Academy's doorstep in just 26 minutes.
Decision time
So you've made your choice and are ready to apply. Some schools require you to apply directly to them, but for most schools in Birmingham you will need to apply online here (you can choose up to 6 preferred schools).
